Lucy Lawless Confirms Her Xena Reboot Status & You'll Hate It
You can't talk about fantasy shows from the '90s without mentioning the queen of them all — "Xena: Warrior Princess," which starred Lucy Lawless as the titular wandering warrior and Renee O'Connor as Gabrielle, her "traveling companion." (Nationally syndicated television really loved its subtext in the '90s.)
"Xena: Warrior Princess" propelled Lawless to stardom and over twenty years later, the actor is still answering an endless column of questions about her iconic run as everyone's favorite warrior princess. However, according to Lawless, longtime "Xena" fans shouldn't expect her to don the leather straps and thigh high boots again. When speaking with Matt Galloway on "The Current," the topic of reboots arose and, naturally, the idea of a "Xena" revival came up as well. While Lawless expressed confidence in such a reboot happening, she seemed adamant that she wouldn't play Xena again. "I won't be there ... I mean, how could I be? I'm not going to put on bloody leathers, that'd just be embarrassing. Nobody wants to see that," Lawless quipped. "Nobody wants to see a 56-year-old woman in thigh high boots ... they might but I ain't giving it to 'em."
While the "Parks and Rec" star — that's right, who else could've tamed Nick Offerman's Ron Swanson besides Xena? — may appear to be determined for a "Xena" reboot to pass her by, fans have other ideas.
Fans have lots of ideas on how Lawless could join a potential Xena reboot
Over on TikTok, fans were rejecting Lawless' resignation in the event of a possible "Xena" reboot. "LUCY LAWLESS BETTER BE IN ANY REBOOT," TikTok user Roberutsu bluntly exclaimed. "She has to be at least attached to it. There's no Xena without Lucy, in some way," another fan wrote, along with a crying emoji.
Other comments were quick to mention how a returning Xena need not be a warrior necessarily, with many fans breaking down how Lawless could potentially return as a mentor figure for a new protagonist or even her own family. "We could have Xena as the wise woman in comfy gowns and slippers with her warrior adopted daughters," one fan wrote. Meanwhile, TikTok user Viva Padomay offered up the idea of a returning Xena serving as the ultimate quest giver in a new show entirely: "Hear me out: [New Name] Warrior Princess, where Lucy plays Wise Old Warrior Queen who gives the quest to the young one and then rewards them at the end."
Clearly, fans are still invested in Lawless as Xena, whether she's a warrior or not. Should the actor step into the iconic role once again, even as a supporting player to a new batch of heroes, the fandom would certainly celebrate her return no matter what. For any longtime fan interested in reading more about this fantasy icon, be sure to check out the untold truth of "Xena: Warrior Princess."